Old Sonoma loses one of its originals

Sonoma pioneer Bob Kunde – rancher, farmer, cattleman, and Sonoma County Trail Blazer – died Friday at the age of 80. He leaves his wife of 55 years, Leslie M. Kunde, and sons Jeff R., Keith L., and daughter Marcia M. and their families. He is also survived by his siblings, Theodora “Sis” Kunde of Glen Ellen and Richard Kunde of Windsor.
Bob Kunde was, as his son Jeff Kunde described him, “One of the old stalwarts of the Valley. One of the originals.” Kunde described his father as the picture of the historic western man, with a passion for farming, vineyards, raising his purebred Hereford cattle and a handshake that pledged the truth. “He was the salt of the earth,” said Kunde. “He loved to hunt, fish. He loved the 4-H kids.”
To illustrate how connected his father was to those kids, and they to him, Jeff Kunde told a story about a visit with 2008 Dairy Princess Taylor Serres. “I’m a 4-H beef leader,” Kunde said, “and Taylor is in our club, and I went down yesterday to check out her steer. She said that just the day before she was being interviewed for an award for the County Fair, and she told me they’d asked her who did she see that has really given back. And she started to cry, and said she’d told them, ‘Bob Kunde.’ And that shows how my dad kind of reached down through the generation. The kids knew.”
Judy and John Serres, Taylor’s parents and longtime friends of the Kundes, echoed the praise. “He was a wonderful man,” said Judy. “We’ve been family friends forever, and he’ll be missed.” John Serres – whose family, like the Kunde family, has been in Sonoma for generations – grew up knowing Bob Kunde. “He and his wife Leslie were like a second mom and dad to me,” he said. “They were so outgoing; you go to their house, they’d say, ‘Come in, come in, sit down, what d’you want to eat?’ He was a real salt-of-the-earth guy. I can see him leaning on the pickup now, saying, ‘Well, what’s goin’ on?’ He always had time to talk to you. He was always in the know, always current, up-to-date.” And there was his humor, Serres added. “He was always smiling. Always had a chuckle. His presence just filled up the space. Nobody will forget him.”
Kunde died after complications resulting from a fall. “I just saw him the other day at the Petaluma fair,” said Serres. “He’d just come back from Trailblazers, and was doing fine. It was a shock. It’s a real loss.”
Family and friends are invited to attend a celebration of Bob’s life at 4 p.m. on Friday, July 25, at the Kunde Estate Winery, 9825 Hwy. 12, Kenwood. There will be a private inurnment. As an expression of sympathy, the family prefers memorial contributions in Bob Kunde’s name be made to either the 4-H Foundation of Sonoma County, P. O. Box 1283, Rohnert Park, CA, 94927 or the Kenwood Firemen’s Association, P. O. Box 249, Kenwood, CA, 95452. Arrangements are under the direction of Lafferty & Smith Colonial Chapel.